Pamu Z1 Review – Great, Budget-priced Truly Wireless ANC Earbuds

Truly wireless earbuds offer listening flexibility. The cord-free experience is extremely convenient. There’s no shortage of true wireless earbuds. The Pamu Z1 are a solid set of actually wireless buds. With robust sound quality and great comfort, the Z1 are a treat to pop in. But should you get a pair? Discover why the Pamu Z1 truly wireless earbuds deserve your ear in our comprehensive review!

What are the Pamu Z1 Truly Wireless Earbuds – Pamy Z1 Overview

The Padmate Tech Pamu Z1 are a high-quality set of truly wireless earbuds. Onboard, you’ll find Bluetooth 5.2 and low-latency listening. You’ll find two different modes: stereo and mono for listening with one or both buds. Dual-chip noise cancellation isolates the sound of your music well.

Design makes the buds comfortable while lending good grip for a pair of true wireless earbuds that stay in your ears well. An included carrying case provides storage and protection along with charging capabilities. Its built-in battery juices up the Z1 buds when not in use. You can charge the case with a USB-C cable or via Qi wireless charging.

A companion app allows you to toggle on active noise cancellation (ANC), select from different EQ modes, enable a game mode, and more. On-device touch controls are intuitive.

Pamu Z1 Specs

• Truly wireless earbuds
• Active noise canceling (ANC)
• Mono and stereo modes
• Companion app with 6x EQ effects
• Bluetooth 5.2 with low-latency
• Included charging case with USB-C and Qi wireless charging
• In the box: Headphones, charging case, soft carrying pouch, extra/different size ear tips, manual, USB-C cable

Pamu Z1 Review Verdict

The Pamu Z1 are a great value-priced set of true wireless earbuds. I was impressed by their excellent sound quality. Bass response was shockingly good, especially from earbuds which are often anemic on the low end. Still, bass performance didn’t overpower the mids and highs.

Music sounded superb, and I enjoyed the Z1’s ability to handle a variety of audio types. Podcasts, movies, and games were equally solid. There’s a built-in microphone that picks up audio well. Although it’s not going to replace a dedicated USB mic like the Movo UM700 or even a shotgun mic such as the Movo VXR10-Pro, call quality is similar to that of other wireless earbuds. I received feedback that my voice sounded clear and crisp when using the Pamu Z1 for conference calls.

Active noise cancellation works pretty well. When enabled, the Z1 reduced light noises. In my testing, having the air conditioning unit or dishwasher kick in with ANC on, even with no music playing, mostly drowned the white noise out. However, it’s not as drastic a difference as on-ear or over-ear headphones. This makes sense, as earbuds by design don’t fully cover your ears. By comparison, I found that even my budget Tribit QuietPlus and Mixcder E10 cans performed better. But when contrasted with other ANC earbuds such as my 1More dual driver ANC buds, the Z1 delivered similar noise reduction.

Even after several hours of use, the Pamu Z1 are extremely comfortable. Additionally, the Z1 fit well. One issue I have with many true wireless earbuds is that they tend to fall out. I appreciated that the Pamu stayed in my ears. I even managed to perform a workout inside with the Z1 on and they didn’t topple out of my ears.

The app experience is pretty good. I liked the various customization options such as different EQ presets and a game mode. However, the app requires a sign up which isn’t ideal. Nevertheless, the Z1 are a fantastic value with an affordable price tag, superb sound quality, and stellar comfort.

Pamu Z1 Design, Build Quality, and Comfort

Padmate’s Pamu Z1 ANC earbuds are comprised mainly of hard, matte plastic on the inside with a glossy veneer on the outer bits. At 6 grams per earbud, the Z1 are lightweight yet durable. The low weight makes them incredibly comfortable to wear. Often, I forgot I even had the Pamu buds in my ears.

Whereas some truly wireless earbuds need to be inserted into your ear canal, like my Jabra Active 65T, the Z1 don’t. Instead, they simply twist gently into your ear. I found this substantially more comfortable than true wire-free buds that jam forcefully into my ear canal.

The Z1 grip pretty well. Although I’m not sure I’d want to take the Pamu for a quick-paced run, walking around the house and even an at-home workout didn’t jostle the Z1 from the loving embrace of my ears.

Padmate Tech Pamu Z1 ANC Truly Wireless Earbuds – Audio Quality

Audio quality is marvelous, particularly for the price. Most surprisingly, the Z1 provide powerful bass response. “X” by Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, and Saudi from the Black Panther soundtrack bumps with ear-shaking low end. However, it doesn’t muddy the vocals or other elements like high hats.

Likewise, “Shiny Suit Theory” by Jay Electronica features good bass performance with punchy mids and highs. Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil” danced cheerily with good delineation of its various layered guitars and bass.

John Lee Hooker’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” rang crystal clear. Hooker’s warbling vocals remain crisp and clean. The drums, bass, guitar, and keys are all easily discernable.

The Z1 can get pretty loud without much distortion. At max volume, the Pamu earbuds manage to sound decent, though I found about 75% volume plenty loud.

In addition to music, I tested out the Z1 with movies, podcasts, gaming, and calling. Voice calls sound perfectly fine with crystal clear reception and great audio pickup with the onboard mic. Playing Hitman on Google Stadia, I enjoyed both in-game audio and the sountrack. Hitman‘s string-laden and timpani-heavy score sounded magnificent, while dialogue or sound effects were equally good. Granted, you’re not getting the same experience as a surround sound gaming headset, for earbuds, the Z1 are wonderful.

Videos are rich and full. Streaming “Midnight Mass” on Netflix, the Pamu Z1 handled audio well. Vocals were strong with sound effects and score fairly solid. In my experience, movies and shows were a bit tinny at times, though that’s somewhat to be expected. Downsampling surround tracks to stereo won’t deliver ideal sound quality. Nevertheless, for situations where you’re watching vids on your phone, tablet, or computer, the Z1 are more than adequate.

Pamu Wire-free Earbuds – The App Experience

The Pamu companion mobile app is a bit of a mixed bag. While it works well enough and provides plenty of different settings, it’s slightly cumbersome. Additionally, the app requires an account. I did create an account and sign in, though it seems like just one more login to manage. Rather than a mandatory account, I’d have preferred an optional sign-in with the app.

Once you’re logged in, everything is pretty straightforward. A slew of settings let you completely customize audio to your liking. I liked the ability to toggle on ANC as well as select different EQ modes (normal, jazz, pop, rock, vocal, and classic). There’s also a game mode with options like close, low, and ultra-low.

The personal settings tab lets you tweak what the onboard controls do. For instance, you can choose the outcome of different touch controls such as long presses and double taps.

Should You Buy the Pamu Z1?

If you’re in the market for a set of high-quality ANC earbuds, the Pamu Z1 are a fantastic choice. I liked the sound quality, long battery life, and extreme comfort. The companion app is good, allowing for ample customization. An included wireless charging case provides enough juice for 24 hours of playback (with recharges in between sessions).

Bass response is shockingly full-bodied, with a fairly balanced soundstage. Vocals are a bit flat occasionally, thought his depends on the EQ mode. Noise cancellation works pretty well, though the Z1 can’t compete with even a budget set of ANC cans. However, this is to be expected, and holds true of virtually all true wireless earbuds. There’s a lot to like about the Pamu Z1, and with a great value, the Z1 are a good solution for truly wireless buds.

The Competition – Truly Wireless Pamu Z1 Earbud Alternatives

1More offers its dual driver ANC Pro wireless headphones. A neckband-style set of earbuds, you lose out on the truly wireless form factor, but the dual driver ANC Pro are comfortable with solid noise cancellation.

You may consider the 1More true wireless ANC in-ear headphones. Like the Pamu Z1, the 1More true wireless buds are completely wire-free. An ear hook provides a more secure fit, and sound quality is slightly better, though the 1More retail for a higher price than the Z1.

If you’re willing to splurge, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are outstanding noise canceling truly wireless earbuds. However, their almost $300 USD MSRP is a fairly hefty. Sony also makes its WF-1000XM3 which, while not cheap, come at a discount to the WF-1000XM4.

Bose’s QuietComfort noise canceling earbuds yield a secure fit, lush sound quality, and top-notch ANC performance. But you’ll shell out a lot for the Bose QuietComfort wireless earbuds.

Pamu Z1 True Wireless ANC Earbuds Review – Final Thoughts

Ultimately, the Pamu Z1 are an excellent value. Active noise cancelation works well, particularly for a pair of earbuds. They’re incredibly comfortable and feature-rich. The Qi wireless charging case and soft carrying case are nice touches. Sound quality, while not perfect, is terrific for the cost. Anything I threw at the Z1 – from music and podcasts to gaming, movies, and calls, sounded enjoyable.

The companion app is decent, providing plenty of customization options. Its requires sign up was somewhat disappointing, but not a dealbreaker. ANC performance leaves a bit to be desired, though that’s true of every pair of noise-canceling earbuds that I’ve tested. Overall, if you want a great value pair of earbuds, the Pamu Z1 fit the bill.